A/N: Welcome to Chapter 4 of Kuroi Kokoro!
Reviews are welcomed, good or bad! I would love to adhere your advice into the story!
Chapter 4 - Phantom Lord
The Phantom Lord guild hall was very large, with a ever-so-tall ceiling. There were an infinite supply of wooden beams holding up the tall triangular roof. The guild hall was quite bland, yet still filled with what seemed like one hundred people. Most of the guild was just wooden beams and planks. It was all one level except for a secret upstairs level where Master Porla usually remained.
"This girl better be useful to us." Master Porla warned Gajeel as they stood above Nina, who was resting on a hard wooden table. She was stowed away in the corner of the guild, Gajeel fashioned a lock for her wrist to keep her from running away while no one was looking. Not like she was going to be moving any time soon.
"She will be." Gajeel assured, still glaring down at Nina who was no longer in visible pain, yet she had not awoken once. Gajeel then crossed his arms, gesturing over to the bartender. The bartender grabbed a wooden mug and filled it to the brim with beer, pasty white foam spilling over onto his hand that displayed the Phantom Lord guild mark. Gajeel took the beer from the man roughly, downing it in one gulp. He threw the mug onto the ground in anger, "Get the stamp." Gajeel ordered the bartender, he nodded and walked away with haste.
"You're not making this little girl a member!" Totomaru outraged. He was a tall man with half black, half white hair. He donned red ninja-like attire that featured crimson feathers down the neckline. His arms were crossed, his face spelling anger with a hint of jealousy.
"She could be useful in the upcoming attack." Gajeel stated, "Those fairies are a bunch of softies. A confused little girl will be the perfect distraction." Gajeel's grin reached across his entire face. He snatched the stamp from the bartender, who was waiting for Gajeel to notice his return. Gajeel eyed the girl up and down, deciding that black would be the best color for her. He stamped it onto her right bicep forcefully, turning her arm red around her new guild mark. It shined as it attached itself to her slim body. Then it faded to an evil black, showing off it's darkness. Gajeel huffed as dropped the stamp back onto the bar, "I'm going to start stage one of the mission, I hear the powerful fairies are out of town currently, I doubt they'll come back home alive."
"It's so sad that they'll die on an S-Class quest!" A man named Aria began balling his eyes out. Aria was a massive man with tanned skin. He had a white blindfold covering his eyes. He sported a long green coat with a purple scarf. Underneath he wore a yellow turtleneck shirt with short navy blue pants. A red necklace of plusses hung from his neck loosely with a skull bearing the same blindfold hung center. He covered his blindfold with his forearm to exaggerate his bawling. Gajeel grinned.
"They probably died before they got there. Gihihi." He snickered. He then performed a giant evil grin. Gajeel stormed out of the guild hall gleefully. The guild doors slammed behind him.
"Juvia hasn't heard Gajeel giggle like that in a long time." Juvia pointed out. Her face still dull and sullen.
"He's happy to be able to destroy those stupid fairies after such a long hiatus of silence. As am I." Master Porla stated, his voice raw and crackly. His grinned matched that of Gajeel, "Juvia, I want you to watch after the girl, the rest of us will go converse the plan." Juvia nodded in responce as the rest of the Element 4 walked away.
"Juvia will do her best." She replied to the backs of her colleagues. She glared down to the passed-out mage, Pretty.
- Later that evening -
"Where am I?" Nina asked as she woke up, her back in pain from the uncomfortable wooden table. She struggled to sit up, but eventually achieved her goal. Nina soon realized that her wrist was restrained to the table, "What the-"
"Good evening." Juvia said to Nina, standing in front of her, "Juvia has been waiting for you to wake up." Nina's eyes opened in shock, afraid of the creepy woman who stood before her, "You are in the Phantom Lord guild." Juvia stated with the still bland expression covering her face.
"Phantom Lord?" Nina asked, confused, "Am I in Magnolia?" Nina looked into the woman's eyes who were staring at Nina creepily.
"No." Juvia stated coldly, "Phantom Lord is in Oak Town." Nina laid back down onto her hard, wooden 'bed'. She tried to squeeze her hand through the iron lock that had kept her from running. Nina curled up into a ball and attempted to hold back the tears. Is this what my life is doomed to be? She asked herself. She could feel a headache forming. As the guild doors slammed open, the headache had commenced. She groaned in pain, her eyes catching sight of Juvia walking over to greet the now returned man. His face was plastered with an evil grin. He could barely hold back his laughter from enjoyment.
"I got those fairies good. Gihi." He giggled, "their entire guild is destroyed! And I left them a little surprise for the morning!" He laughed maniacally. Gajeel almost crushed the bench as he sat down into it. He was given a beer by the bartender, but his time Gajeel took his time with it.
"Juvia wonders what the surprise is." Juvia stated in the same voice as always.
"I do as well." Guild Master Porla walked up to Gajeel, standing in front of him with an evil grin, "You destroyed the entire guild, yes?" Master Porla asked. Gajeel retorted with an eyeroll, "Very good. Now what's this surprise?" Master Porla seemed to be extremely gleeful.
"I found this little girl from their guild that was with two other male fairies," He took a rewarding sip from his beer, "I beat them up and hung them from a tree!" He and the guild master both laughed hysterically, as if Gajeel had just recited an amazing joke. Juvia's face was cold as always, Aria was bawling his eyes out. Totomaru was grinning ever so slightly. In a blink of an eye, all attention was on Nina. Gajeel's mood sank back down almost instantly, "So the brat's awake?" Gajeel asked Juvia.
"She woke up just a few hours before you came in, Gajeel-kun." Juvia recalled, cold as ever. Gajeel let out a hefty sigh, downing what remained of his beer. He then arose from his shoddy seat, stomping over to Nina. He stood above her with an angry look in his eyes.
"What's your name, kid?" Gajeel demanded sternly. Nina didn't respond from fear, making Gajeel ever more angry at her. Nina's fear scoured throughout her stomach, causing it to sink. Nina's eyes shook, plastering fear all over her face. Why am I here? What did I do to deserve this?! Gajeel asked again, only this time fumed with more anger, "What. Is. Your. Name?!" Gajeel banged his fis onto the able where Nina laid.
"N-Nina." She stuttered, paralyzed from fear. Gajeel's anger did not waver for a moment as he mentally high-fived himself.
"Nina, huh?" Gajeel asked, removing his fist from the table, "Well, Nina," He glared down to her, "I believe you are in my debt for saving your life, and giving you shelter." Gajeel stated, forming an evil grin onto his face. Nina's fear left her a little now that she knows what they want. Sort of.
"What do you want?" Nina asked to get it out of the way. This seemed to had infuriated Gajeel once again as his grin faded from his face. Gajeel then signaled to the far tender once again.
"I want you to help us in a war." Gajeel stated coldly, Nina's eyes widened. Gajeel seemed to have saddened, "Against people who have stepped on us since the beginning of the guild. They think they're superior to us all, all of the guilds in Fiore." Gajeel took the beer from the bartender, but much softer than usual. Nina's mind was in a state of shock once again. She recalled back to her conversation with her grandfather. These must be the wizards grandfather always talks about thinking they're superior to everyone. Nina's mind raced for a moment.
"I'll help you." Nina stated firmly. The bartender dropped the mug of beer onto the cold wooden floor. Gajeel was at a loss for words, shocked that it was so easy. I'll get rid of these wizards, and prove to my grandfather that there are good wizards out there! "What are we fighting?" Nina asked. Gajeel took a moment to collect himself, the bartender scrambling to prepare another beer.
"A wizard guild." Gajeel paused, "Fairy Tail."